That’s what a few general managers might be asking themselves after the Montreal Alouettes sent him packing on Wednesday, just two weeks after the CFL fined him for comments he made about gay U.S. college football player Michael Sam.

Trouble has never been too far away from Bruce, no matter where he played. Whether it was a bar fight during his first stop in Winnipeg, getting traded from the Toronto Argonauts after clashing with head coach Bart Andrus and leaving his playbook on a plane or his Michael Jackson tribute during a touchdown celebration, Bruce often makes headlines for all the wrong reasons.

On the other hand, he still makes headlines for his play on the field, too. The 36-year-old may not move as quickly as he used to, but he had 851 receiving yards last season for the Alouettes. He had a similar number in 2011 with Hamilton and B.C., and in 2012 he still managed 603 receiving yards despite not being an integral part of the Lions offence.

If he doesn’t decide to retire, which he suggested he might do to TSN’s Farhan Lalji, the six-time 1,000-yard receiver could still help any team looking for import pass-catching help. One team being mentioned is Ottawa, which could definitely use a few more veteran players. Plus, offensive co-ordinator Mike Gibson knows Bruce and is apparently a big fan of his work.

Whether that’s enough for the RedBlacks, or any other organization, to look past the headaches is the million-dollar question.

WHERE’S TED?

Arguably the best free agent this off-season is still on the market.

Edmonton Eskimos defensive tackle Ted Laurent, who is a valuable non-import, is reportedly going to wait until the NFL Draft is complete before he gives up on a job in the four-down loop. That means he’ll be waiting until at least mid-May to determine his future. If the NFL doesn’t work out for the 6-foot-1, 303-pound Montreal native, one CFL team is going to get better just before training camp begins.

One CFL executive has said Laurent would be the top free-agent signing this off-season, given his ratiobreaking ability. He had 36 tackles last season — double what he recorded in 2012 — and he also chipped in with four sacks. Edmonton, Montreal and Ottawa are believed to be the three teams that will take a hard run at Laurent if the NFL doesn’t pan out.

HAMMY’S HOME

The Tiger-Cats have reached a 20-year agreement with the City of Hamilton so that they can play at brand new Tim Hortons Field.

The Tabbies will pay “upwards of $30 million” during the next 20 years for the right to call THF their home.

The big question now is: Will the park be ready in time for its first game on July 26? The Tiger-Cats on Wednesday released a two-minute video showing the stadium’s progress, and there appears to be a ton of work to do with less than five months to go until opening kickoff against the RedBlacks.

Infrastructure Ontario sent a letter to the Tiger-Cats earlier this month telling them to come up with a contingency plan in case the park wasn’t ready. Commissioner Mark Cohon said during the CFL Congress in Ottawa that the league had contingency plans.

The Bombers re-signed their starting running back on Thursday, inking free-agent tailback Will Ford to a new contract … The Roughriders earlier this week lost another player to free agency when kick returner Jock Sanders bolted for the Stampeders. The Stampeders traded Larry Taylor to Montreal just before signing Sanders … Saskatchewan signed a quarterback on Thursday, adding former Texas Tech pivot Seth Doege to the training-camp roster.

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The biggest off-season winners may have been the Argonauts. Shea Emery helps their ratio, and we like their new defensive co-ordinator a lot more than the old one. Chris Jones was exposed last year. His system gives up too many big plays. Tim Burke will make the Double Blue defence much sounder … The Tom Higgins hiring in Montreal was shocking. The best guy out there is him? … It seems like the Alouettes are trying to protect themselves if Jim Popp ever does leave for the NFL. It seems like other people in the organization are asserting themselves, too. Is (CEO Mark) Weightman throwing his weight around?

QUICK HITS

Long term the Bombers might be better off with Drew Willy than Henry Burris. They need to develop their future quarterback, not win a few more with a guy who’s almost 40. Six or seven wins in Winnipeg with a young quarterback will be a good season … The top prospect in this year’s draft, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, is getting some looks from NFL teams. Even if he doesn’t get drafted or sign with an NFL team immediately after the draft, it could still present a problem for CFL teams. The NFL draft is May 8-10, and the CFL draft is May 13. The catch is a few players like Duvernay-Tardif could get invited to an NFL mini-camp, and most of those will take place the weekend of May 16-18 … The off-season is more than free agency. We keep hearing that Wally (Buono) forced Benny (Mike Benevides) to get rid of both co-ordinators. B.C.’s not a good place to work. The pressure from Wally makes it terrible to coach there. He has all the answers … Hamilton receiver Onrea Jones and B.C. linebacker Anton McKenzie are on the trading block … How does a team like Hamilton kick Ottawa’s butt in free agency? Ottawa is a new team with playing time and cap space, and the Ticats got better players than Ottawa did in free agency. Give them credit — (Kent) Austin and (Eric) Tillman are good together. Looks like Toronto and Hamilton will fight for first over there again … I’m not sure what the Eskimos are going to do when it comes to the ratio.

AND MORE OF THAT

With nine teams, the league has a hard job with the schedule. If you look at it closely, Winnipeg and Edmonton probably got the best schedules. They don’t have many games on short turnarounds, and more often than not they have more prep days than their opponent. A day or two advantage is a big deal. Ask any of us who have coached … Most think the this year’s salary cap will be $4.55 or $4.6 million, but everybody is working towards last year’s number of $4.4 million … The one team that has improved the most this off-season is the Tiger-Cats, and it’s not even close … We don’t focus on the East too much, but losing Zach Collaros might really hurt the Argos. He played good enough that people forget Ricky Ray has missed 11 or 12 games over the past two seasons. That’s one-third of Toronto’s games Ray has missed after getting hurt twice. The Argos kept winning with Collaros, though. But if Ray gets hurt again, how good is Toronto’s new backup? … As for the Tom Higgins hiring, 2007 to today is a long time. That would be first and foremost. Also, he’s never had that dynamic personality. He’s more like a Tim Burke, a dry guy who’s going to be talking more at them than to them … I can’t see Arland Bruce hooking up with another team. He’s likely done … The people who have worked with Gary Etcheverry say he never complains about the players you give him. They say he just coaches what you give him and tries to win with his system. He better be a good coach after losing (Henoc) Muamba and (Brandon) Stewart. The defensive talent in Winnipeg got a lot worse after free agency … Ricky Schmitt replacing Paul McCallum on kickoffs will be one of the biggest upgrades in free agency. Same over there with the Ticats with Justin Medlock replacing Luca Congi. Field position will help them win games in B.C. and Hamilton.

Headline-making Arland Bruce III looking for work

That’s what a few general managers might be asking themselves after the Montreal Alouettes sent him packing on Wednesday, just two weeks after the CFL fined him for comments he made about gay U.S. college football player Michael Sam.

Trouble has never been too far away from Bruce, no matter where he played. Whether it was a bar fight during his first stop in Winnipeg, getting traded from the Toronto Argonauts after clashing with head coach Bart Andrus and leaving his playbook on a plane or his Michael Jackson tribute during a touchdown celebration, Bruce often makes headlines for all the wrong reasons.

On the other hand, he still makes headlines for his play on the field, too.